WHAT PAUL BEGGED TO TELL - Acts 21: 27-39
I. PAUL BEGS.
Acts 21:39 But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."
1. Paul has just been rescued from the mob by the Roman soldiers.
2. He “begs” the commander of the soldiers to let him “speak to the people.”
3. It is as though Paul is desperate, knowing he may not have another opportunity.
4. His desperation comes from the fact that Paul had a genuine concern for these Jews.
5. In Romans 10:1, Paul says: “Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. “
6. Paul knew that unless they heard and listened to what he had to say there would be no salvation for these people.
7. This is true today; God has a genuine concern for us today and unless we hear what He has to say through the apostle Paul, there will be no salvation for us either.
II. WHAT PAUL BEGGED TO TELL:
A. Paul says that he was as much of a Jew as anyone could be; Acts 22: 3-5.
1. “I am a Jew…educated under Gamaliel”; vs. 3.
2. He was taught “strictly according to the law of our fathers”; vs. 3.
3. He was “zealous for God” just as the people were; vs. 3.
4. All the “high priests and all the Council of the elders” knew who he was; vs. 5.
B. Paul tells of his experience with the Lord; Acts 22:6-13
"And it came about that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ' Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 8 "And I answered, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' 9 "And those who were with me beheld the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 "And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go on into Damascus; and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.' 11 "But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus. 12 "And a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near said to me,' Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very time I looked up at him.
1. In verse 10, Paul asks the Lord, “What shall I do, Lord?”
2. In verse 10, in response to his question, Paul has some things “appointed” for him to do.
C. What Paul was appointed to do; vs. 14-15.
"And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will,
and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth.
15'For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and
heard.
D. Summary:
1. Paul was a Jew as much as anyone could be.
2. He knew the law and he was zealous for God.
3. He was actively busy doing what he thought God wanted him to do.
4. In addition, he is appointed by God to “know God’s will, to see the Righteous One, and hear an utterance from His mouth.”
5. Summary question: With all of this, what more is there that Paul needs to do before he can fulfill the God given appointed appointments?
E. What Paul had to do; vs. 16.
“And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on His name.'
1. Before Paul can start His service to God he is commanded to be baptized!
2. His “sins would be washed away” at that time.
3. God doesn’t want someone telling others about forgiveness of sins and salvation if they themselves haven’t been forgiven and saved.
4. That would by hypocrisy and hypocrisy is a sin itself.
5. Paul was appointed by God to do a great service but the first thing he had to do was be baptized to wash away his sins.
6. This isn’t unique to Paul; this is true of everyone who wants to follow and serve the Lord; Matt 28:18-20
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
7. Discipleship begins at baptism and you cannot be a sincere, true disciple without being baptized because a disciple is going to do what his teacher commands; Jesus commands baptism.
F. The Troubling Question: If the Jews are “God’s Chosen People” and can’t be lost like many people believe, then why was Paul, a Jew’s Jew, commanded to “be baptized in order to wash away His sins?” Why isn’t he just told by the Lord to “get up and get busy?”
1. In Romans 10:1, Paul speaking about the Jews, says, Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
2. According to what Paul says the Jews are not automatically saved just because they are Jews.
3. The Jews were God’s chosen people but they were chosen for function only.
a. The seed line would be preserved through them.
b. The Messiah would come through them.
c. God would reveal His law through them.
d. The gospel would eventually be taken to the Gentiles because of them.
e. They were chosen for a function…a purpose.
4. When it comes to redemption the Jews were never guaranteed anything.
a. Over and over again in the Old Testament you find thousands of Jews who hardened themselves against God.
b. As a result God cursed them and destroyed them.
c. The Jews were never God’s chosen people when it came to redemption; and they still aren’t today; See Romans 9-10.
5. When it comes to redemption, God’s chosen people have always been those who are “faithful”; those who trust and obey Him.
6. That is why Paul was commanded to be “baptized and wash away his sins.”
a. As zealous as he was for God, as right as he thought he was, as well known as he was in Jewish circles, he was still guilty of His sins.
b. Those sins separated him from God; Isa. 59:2 and he was as lost as he could be.
7. That is why Paul “begged” to be able to tell his fellow Jews these things because unless they too believe in Christ and obeyed Him by being baptized and washing away their sins, they would be just as lost as anyone else who rejects Christ.
8. Even though he was appointed by God for a special work, before he could begin that work the first thing he had to do was get rid of his sins, and that would happen at baptism.
9. And in Acts 9: 18 that is exactly what Paul did.
10. If a zealous Jew, a man appointed by God to a special service, had to be baptized to wash away his sins, why do some today think they don’t have to be?
Conclusion: Paul believed in Christ , he was obedient to the will of God, and he was baptized in order to wash away his sins. In verse 14-15 Paul was told that God appointed him to know God’s will and to receive utterances from the Righteous One’s mouth, and then he would go and tell others what he had seen and heard. In Acts 16: 14-15, Acts 16: 32-34, Acts 19: 15, Romans 6: 3-4, Galatians 3: 26-27, and 1 Cor. 12: 12 that Paul taught baptism. If he is teaching “what he had seen and heard from the Righteous One’s mouth”, then where does the idea of being baptized really come from? It comes from the Righteous One and we would be wise to not deny it. Paul was baptized to wash away his sins because he was commanded to be and because he was obedient to his Lord. Paul begged to tell this story because he was genuinely concerned about the people’s salvation. Have you heard what Paul has said today? Will you respond and be saved by recognizing Jesus as Lord and by being baptized in order to wash away your sins?